


I ESPecially Like You

by yiriono



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: !artist jaehyun, !psychic taeyong, AU, Fighting, Fluff, Ghosts, High School, Jealousy, M/M, Monsters, Psychic Abilities, Superpowers, Violence, battles, loner taeyong
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 23:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19800061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yiriono/pseuds/yiriono
Summary: As a final departing gesture, the sun travels to where they are standing, finally illuminating the murky alley and revealing a very familiar face.“Lee Taeyong?” Jaehyun exclaims. It’s him alright. That unreal beauty and insanely sharp jawline could only belong to one person.Taeyong lets out a brief gasp, before suddenly, he dissipates into thin air. Jaehyun looks around, but there’s not a trace of the other boy, just emptiness and large garbage bins nestled at the end of the alleyway.Bewildered, Jaehyun pinches himself. Hard.High school au where Jaehyun walks in on Taeyong performing an exorcism





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Did not beta this so go easy on me. I had a sudden urge to write this and I actually had fun for once. Enjoy chapter 1!

The ongoing lecture fades into the background, as Jaehyun glances at the clock, eager for class to end. He’s bored, very bored, so bored, in fact he’s resulted to doodling on the corner of his textbook to pass time.

He’d never been a numbers guy, let alone a math person, but here he is anyways sitting through calculus. Jaehyun didn’t plan on taking the class, considering he barely passed pre-calc, but it was his mom who convinced him to register.

“It’ll be good for your college applications,” she said, “You need to take a harsh course load”.

When he refused, she retaliated with incessant nagging until Jaehyun eventually caved. She didn’t know the reason he was so hesitant was because it meant removing the class he actually wanted to take: Art.

He hasn’t told her, or anyone really, that he wanted to go to art school. It just didn’t seem like a feasible option, especially when his mom was dead set on his premed pathway. He tried to drop hints, like alluding to RISD’s prestige or talking about the vast career options available for creatives, but each time he gets the same reply. “You can’t make money as an artist, and it’s a dying career. You’re better off as a doctor.”

To that, he scoffs. If anything doctors will get replaced by robots, making med a dying career. But begrudgingly, he listens to her and adds calculus to his course load.

Now sitting here, as the teacher blabbers about derivatives, Jaehyun really regrets the decision. He doesn’t feel like paying attention, instead focusing on his drawing, which is beginning to look less of a doodle but more so a full out sketch. He’s adding contrast to the shadows when his mind drifts to the anime he started last night.

Mob Psycho. A story about an ordinary middle school boy who has special ESP powers.

It occurs to him that he’s an ordinary boy too. Maybe not in middle school but high school should be a fair substitute. What if he actually has powers that have laid dormant in him the whole time? What if, right?

Jaehyun wonders if he concentrates hard enough, maybe he could activate hidden abilities and make time move faster. It’s an immature delusion, but he’s desperate and bored enough to try.

First he clears his mind, before clenching the muscles in his arm, summoning this strange tension that spreads to his fingertips. He points his middle finger at the minute hand, and in one swift motion, moves it up.

As expected, nothing happens. The clock still beats its regular rhythm, continuing it’s dreadfully slow descent to 3pm. He sighs, dropping his hand in defeat. The only thing Jaehyun learns from class was that he has a bad case of eighth grade syndrome.

♥

When the bell finally rings, Jaehyun rushes for the door, only to be blocked by the lanky senior, Doyoung.

“Move” he wails, trying to squish through. But the other boy doesn’t budge.

“Where do you think you’re going”

“Home” Jaehyun retorts, again trying to squirm his way out.

“Oh no you aren’t” Doyoung chuckles. He yanks Jaehyun’s collar, and drags him out into the hall. The brunette tries to free himself, but Doyoung’s grip is firm. “Remember, you still owe me one.”

Jaehyun lets out a low whine. “Please not today”. More than anything, he wants to go home. The day, though mundane and ordinary, felt absolutely draining. What he needs to do right now is plop onto his bed, play his phone games, and recharge before spending the rest of the evening catching up on the wasted calculus lesson.

Unfortunately, the older boy isn’t at all sympathetic. “Lot’s of work to be done,” he says, completely ignoring Jaehyun’s plea, “It’s nearing exam season, so the student council is especially busy. You’re going to help us with the mountain of paperwork piling on my desk.”

Doyoung pinches his nose bridge, as he lets out this frustrated sigh. “I swear it never ends. Just when I think I’m done for the day, the administration needs us to do more.”

Jaehyun can’t help but to feel sorry for the elder.

He’s weak, always has, at rejecting people’s requests--especially Doyoung’s. During freshman year, they shared a class together; the older had forgotten to take his mandatory art credit the year before, which resulted in being placed in a lower grade. The other boy, though irritatingly uptight, had grown to become one of Jaehyun’s best friends. So as much as he’s craving to rewind at home, he’d rather not have Doyoung work till death.

“Okay fine” he concedes.

Doyoung’s taken back, clearly not expecting Jaehyun to agree. He lets out a grating laugh, causing some heads to turn towards them, before his lips settle into a small smirk. “Good boy.”

Jaehyun groans at the reply. “Don’t make me change my mind” he warns, but with no resolution to enforce his words.

♥

By the time Jaehyun finally leaves school, the sun was beginning to set. Orange and purple hues spread across the sky, expansive and continuous like the sea. Slowly, the bustling town begins to retire: with shops flipping their open signs, cats returning to their homes, and children abandoning the park swings.

The walk home gives him mixed feelings. It’s strange seeing the once lively streets desolate. But at the same time, the emptiness is calming, giving Jaehyun the luxury of silence.

He’s about to reach the end of the block, when he hears this loud crash coming from the alley up ahead. It’s followed by a gruff yelp, and the sound of explosions, like those dramatic booms you hear in action movies.

An ominous feeling travels across Jaehyun’s body, causing him to shiver. He should probably turn back now and take another route, whatever's going on sounds like trouble. For all he knows, it's a gang fight or a mugging. He backs away, ready to run away, before he hears this shrill scream.

It’s a woman, and she sounds distressed.

This was probably a signal for him to get the fuck away, but Jaehyun can’t move. Not when someone’s in trouble. Every instinct in him is telling him to withdraw, but he doesn’t break. Instead, he takes a deep breath, before forcing himself to run up to the alley. His feet feel heavy, a sign of his body’s resistance, but he goes through with it anyways.

He’s standing near the entrance, expecting some grand crime to be occurring, but only to be greeted by darkness. But the screams are still ongoing, sounding even more twisted and pained than previously.

Jaehyun takes another step, when he notices something.

There, at the very back of the alleyway, is this boy wearing a red jacket, his face is covered by the hood. His arm is outreached, while his hand is bent in a way that looks like a claw. Jaehyun’s eyes trail up to the direction the boy’s facing, before he sees it.

The source of the eerie noises, also the most disgusting thing Jaehyun has ever seen: a tall, black figure, with what seems like human hands sticking from its sides. The thing suddenly leaps at the boy, but only for him to suddenly disappear, causing the monster to miss and slam right into the floor.

The boy in the red jacket then appears out of nowhere, before raising his arm, positioned in the same way Jaehyun had earlier in class, and flicks his wrist. This causes the black figure to be flung up: and when the boy moves his wrist down, accordingly, the figure is hurled back down.  
The thing momentarily stops moving, clearly worn out by the battle that’s transpired. Jaehyun watches, absolutely shocked, as the boy walks over to the figure while muttering something Jaehyun can’t make out, lifts his hand and snaps.

The disgusting creature vanishes. Gone. Vamoosh.

Jaehyun blinks hard, several times, but the thing really did disappear. He barely has time to process what had just happened when the boy in the red jacket lets out a satisfied chuckle, and bends over to pick up a blue backpack that was leaning against the brick wall. At some point during the fight, the hood had fallen off, revealing matching bright red hair that messily spikes all over the place. But in the dim lighting, Jaehyun can’t make out the boy’s face.

“Oh shit there’s garbage all over you” the boy mutters to his backpack, as he picks off the unwanted remnants that litter the bag.

It doesn’t strike Jaehyun that he’s been standing there in utter silence the whole time until the boy, who had been walking towards the exit, suddenly stops in his trail when he sees Jaehyun.

As a final departing gesture, the sun travels to where their standing, finally illuminating the murky alley. Nature exposes the boy, thrusting him away from the mask of darkness, revealing a very familiar face.

“Lee Taeyong?” Jaehyun exclaims.

It’s him alright. That unreal beauty and insanely sharp jawline could only belong to one person.

Taeyong lets out a brief gasp, before suddenly, he dissipates into thin air.

“What the fuck..”

Jaehyun looks around, but there’s not a trace of the other boy, just an emptiness and large garbage bins nestled at the end of the alleyway.

Bewildered, Jaehyun pinches himself. Hard.

“Ow”


	2. Hi Jaehyun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, unbeta'd and written from 12am-3:30 am lol but i loved this chapter it was really fun. Please leave some feedback or thoughts of the story down in the comments! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy

Here’s what he knows about Lee Taeyong. He likes strawberry milk a lot; actually, come to think of it, Jaehyun’s never seen him without the beverage. He’s apparently good at math, since their teacher keeps pestering him to ask Taeyong for tutoring. But Jaehyun doesn’t because, honestly, and arriving at the third and final fact: He’s really intimidating. 

It’s hard to describe Taeyong’s visuals; because his look is so unique, a perfect balance between soft and hard. His face narrows into a sharp V, making his jawline appear quite prominent. His eyebrows are thick, slightly arc downwards, topped with a narrow slit at the tail. But what really adds that edge to his appearance, is his bold red hair; It’s an even mixture of fire truck red and wine, not too bright but not too faded. 

Jaehyun admires the choice, it’s eye catching and flamboyant. But sadly, in their traditional school, it’s not at all welcomed. At the start of the school year, the principal had delivered a long speech warning students to maintain a sophisticated image. “You must appear respectable at all times” she claimed. In actuality, the school just wants to uphold that prestigious, monotonous, image to the public. So when Taeyong showed a couple weeks later, as a new red head, the teachers had a field day. It’s probably then Taeyong caught the reputation as a “rebel”. 

What really solidified the boy as intimidating, was his cold demeanor. Taeyong is quiet, really quiet. He only talks when he absolutely has to, but never goes out of his way to interact with others. At lunch, he puts on his headphones, and slinks into an empty corner of the cafeteria. Others have tried to approach him, mostly girls who find him attractive, but every time the challenger returns despondent. Maybe it’s because of this abstract impression he has of Taeyong, that Jaehyun never bothers to befriend him, or talk to him really. 

It’s ironic because right now Jaehyun’s itching to do just that. For the sake of his sanity, he needs to verify what went down the other day. He ended up walking home in a trance, the fresh memories of the battle looping through his mind. It was all he could focus on, which causes him to trip on air multiple times. 

That night, Jaehyun powered through hours of googling to semi-confidently arrive at the conclusion that Taeyong is a psychic. Its odd, eccentric almost. Yet out of all the possible explanations, surprisingly, this seems the most accurate. That weird hand thing he was doing, according to supernaturalworld.com, it was telekinesis. Suddenly disappearing after their encounter? Teleportation. 

While this newfound information answered a lot of questions, it also opened room for more curiosity. What else could Taeyong do? What was he doing in the alleyway? What happened to the creature?

Somewhere in the middle of all this, Jaehyun finds himself wanting to believe. For the past year, he'd been working on a comic about, surprise, supernatural abilities. His imagination's bit a bit dry the past month, making it difficult for him to continue drawing without getting frustrated and giving up. Selfish, he knows, but this newfound discovery could change everything. This could be the solution to his problems. This could fix his story.

Unfortunately, the redhead had been absent for three days ongoing. Jaehyun’s beginning to lose hope he’d ever find out the truth. 

♥

“Hey hyung” 

Jaehyun rests his head on the hard, wood, surface. He was currently in the student council room, forced into, again, hours of paperwork filing. Well that’s not fully the truth. For starters, he had given up on the task at hand around 30 minutes ago, instead opting to fiddle with his phone, researching more on psychic abilities. Secondly, he didn’t actually resist when Doyoung had cornered him into staying after school. He had some thing’s he wanted to ask the elder. 

“What” Doyoung replies, a little disgruntled as he reaches for another stack of paper. He gives the younger a dirty glare, before leaning forward and slapping Jaehyun’s head, jolting the brunette from his resting position. “You little shit. Stop slacking off and finish your pile” Doyoung nudges his head at the pile stacked in front of Jaehyun, which seems like nothing compared to the mountain the older was working through. 

“This is abuse” Jaehyun complains, nonetheless picking up the papers, mechanically sorting them into different categories. “I’m pretty sure you’re violating numerous labor laws right now.”

Doyoung rolls his eyes. “You’re such a drama queen.”

“I demand minimum wage”

“I demand you to finish your pile” 

Jaehyun widens his eyes and pouts his lip. “At least pay me in boba”

He watches as Doyoung’s eyes narrow in contemplation. The elder hesitates for a couple seconds before releasing a deep sigh and a reluctant concession: “Fine okay.” Jaehyun lets out a victorious cheer, earning him another sigh. 

“Anything else?”

Oh right, he was going to ask something. “Do you know Lee Taeyong? You know the guy with crazy hair, in your grade, kinda cold.” 

Doyoung purses his lips, as if he biting back something. “What about him?” It comes out a little sharp, even though there's a forced nonchalance to his voice. It doesn’t go unnoticed to Jaehyun. 

Suddenly he feels a little awkward; He has no idea where this conversation is going because he can’t really ask ‘Does Taeyong have super powers of something because I saw him fighting this weird looking demon a few days ago’, without seeming batshit crazy. 

“Uh, it’s not much but I was wondering if you know him. He seems really,nice. Sort of. I don’t know.” Jaehyun rubs the back of his neck anxiously. Words spill out of his mouth like a waterfall, too quick for him to process what he’s saying. “He’s really good looking and I was curious why he’s always alone.”

Doyoung’s tense grimace trickles away, as a smug expression takes over. His lips furl into a knowing smirk, as a mischievous glint lights up his eyes. “I see how it is”, the elder leans back in his hair, fingers drumming against the desk. “You have a crush.”

Jaehyun’s jaw drops. How exactly did Doyoung arrive at this conclusion is beyond him. He’s about to reject the absurd assertion when he realizes it’s a better explanation for his sudden interest in the red head. Well, at least more practical than mentioning creepy creatures with human hands sticking from the side, so he rolls with it. “I guess.”

Though he’s lying, the confession makes him blush. A warm tingle spreads across his cheeks, causing Doyoung to snicker. “Nice taste Jae. Sure he’s hot, but I’d forget it if I were you. Taeyong’s kind of bad news.”

This piques Jaehyun’s interest. “Really why?”

“Well” Doyoung hesitates, “I feel bad about gossiping, but there’s this rumor going around that he’s involved..” The elder leans forward, cusping a hand to his mouth, before whispering “with gangs.”

Jaehyun straightens his back. Not what he was expecting, but at the same time it doesn’t seem too far off. Taeyong’s attitude didn’t help his case, and he definitely looked the part (No thanks to the eyebrow slit). As Doyoung returns to attending the papers, Jaehyun tries to piece together the new information. A gang.. And psychic abilities? He’s not sure how it all fits. 

Taeyong is just so complicated. 

♥

It’s 9pm when Jaehyun’s mom sends him to the convenience store to pick up some cleaning supplies. Apparently buying Gochujang sauce is more important than finishing his homework. 

“If I fail the test, it's because of you” He calls out before exiting his home. 

He trudges through the streets, almost empty if not for the cars that occasionally streamed through. The old sidewalk light, in desperate need of repair, flickers dauntingly, threatening to cut out the only thing guiding him through the dark. Jaehyun crosses his fingers, hoping everything goes smoothly, because the last thing he needs is that. But, just his luck, suddenly the light falters, abandoning his vision to black. 

“Well fuck” Jaehyun curses, angrily kicking a loose pebble lying on the ground. He waits for the expected clash of the rock hitting the ground, before it bounces several times until stillness. However, it never comes. He’s greeted by silence. 

Or so he thinks, because seconds later he hears an angry, reverberating, growl. Did he hit someone? He turns his head to the direction of the noise, slowly trailing his eyes upwards, until he’s face to face with it. He didn’t hit someone, he hit something. 

In front of him is a humongous wolf, almost three times taller than him, and fours times as wide. It’s not an ordinary animal though: resting directly on its forehead, is a third eye. It’s twitching, sporadically bouncing back and forth, manic . The creature’s teeth are barred: fangs sharpened and ready to bite, saliva dripping endlessly. It’s back is arched, claws unsheathed, perfectly positioned to pounce. 

Jaehyun barely has time to react when the wolf leaps at him. It bites his arm, not so hard it rips off, but enough to permeate his skin, causing blood to ooze from an angry wound. Still holding onto him, the creature swings it’s jaw and releases, flinging Jaehyun onto the ground. 

His body thuds into the hard concrete, causing a jarring pain to spread across his back. Instinctively, tears form in the corners of his eyes, adding a blurry lens to his vision.He tries to prompt himself up, but his limbs are starting to feel heavy, no matter how much energy he summons, it doesn’t work. As a last effort, he begins to inch away, like a worm, a futile attempt at escape. The wolf begins to stalk closer and closer, until Jaehyun can literally see the individual droplets of spit trickle down it’s teeth. 

“I’m going to die aren’t I” he chokes out between violent breaths. Jaehyun forces his eyes shut, cutting off his sight of the horrendous creature. If he’s about to be mauled to death, he’s rather not see it happen. 

The wolf snarls again. Because of the proximity, it ripples powerful vibrations against his skin. 

This was it. 

He’d never get to finish his story. 

He’d never get to say goodbye to Doyoung.

He’d never get to the truth about Taeyong. 

He clenches his fist, vision still sealed, as he waits for impending death.

But it never comes. 

Moments pass, long enough for Jaehyun to realize something was wrong. He’s still alive! But why? Hesitantly he opens his eyes. 

Instead of the wolf, standing there, back turned, is a boy wearing a red jacket. His hood is down, revealing matching red hair: It’s an even mixture of fire truck red and wine, not too bright but not too faded. 

“T-Taeyong?” He softly croaks, unsure if his mind is playing tricks on him. 

The boy turns around. 

Brown eyes meet his.

“Hi Jaehyun.”


	3. The Truth

“Can you stand” Taeyong asks, crouching down to get on the same level as the brunette. 

Jaehyun’s lying on the sidewalk, slightly leaning against a tall wooden fence. He’s prompt up by his hand, which is digging into the hard gravel, the small stones leaving red imprints on his soft flesh. Not that he notices because the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and the angry wound on his other arm was beginning to make its presence known. 

A large bite mark contrasts his pale milky skin. Blood seeps from the fresh tear, trickling down his arm to his shirt. It’s not life threatening, but enough to leave a nasty scar once healed.

Pain shoots up his arm, fast and jarring like lightning. He tries to move, but it only makes things worse, provoking yet another flare to ignite. He yelps in anguish, internally cringing at the helpless noise he makes, but the pain is just unbearable. 

Jaehyun just shakes his head, unable to form a coherent word, let alone a sentence.

Taeyong leans forward. His slender fingers travel up Jaehyun’s arms, circling the unbreached skin around the wound. The foreign contact against his pulsing hot skin is relieving: like taking a cold shower on a summer evening. Jaehyun closes his eyes, unconsciously leaning into the touch. 

“You’re doing great” the other boy whispers, his tone so reassuring Jaehyun starts to believe it. 

His eyes are still shut when he feels this strange tingling sensation. Slowly, he flutters his lids open, only to be greeted by a blinding white light. He winces at the brash intrusion, which helps adjust his vision. 

“What are you..” Jaehyun barely chokes out. 

The light is coming from Taeyong’s hand, which hovers over the wound. It grows more and more intense as Taeyong mutters something under his breath, too quiet and too fast for Jaehyun to comprehend. 

As Taeyong’s pace quickens, the tingle explodes into this ticklish sensation. At the same time, something weird happens. The blood that pooled from the wound began to rescind, rewind, as each droplet starts to slink back into his body. The same thing happens to the physical tear: the flesh suddenly mends itself together, almost as if no wound existed in the first place.The searing pain dissipates, like fog off a lake, and his body returns to normal. 

Taeyong lifts his head, looking at Jaehyun expectantly. His brown orbs burn right into the brunette , as if he’s looking right through him. He parts his lips, as if he’s about to say something, before Jaehyun cuts him off. 

“I-I-I” Jaehyun stutters, struggling to find the right words, or any, “What just, did you, uh”. His mind blanks, completely overwhelmed by what he’s just witnessed. Did Taeyong just heal him? 

The question echoes in his head, and he fights to spit them out. But all he can afford is a bewildered, “What the fuck.”

Taeyong’s eyes widen, surprised at the boy’s response. Then, he lets out a tiny scoff, which transpires into a hearty chuckle, before settling into a full on laugh: knee slaps and head swaying included.  
“Oh my god” Taeyong says, bringing his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes, “I can’t believe you. Well spoken kid, very eloquent.”

“Well-” Jaehyun starts, trying to think of a defensive retort. 

Taeyong stands up, before stretching his back, purring a little as his bones make a satisfying pop. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything” He reassures, offering his hand to Jaehyun, who is still sprawled on the floor. 

A million questions fly through his mind. He’s impatient and wants them all answered now. Who are you? What are you? What did you just do to me? What do you mean explain?He doesn’t voice any of this, instead he takes Taeyong’s hand, appreciative of the extra force helping him up. 

Instantly he notices that Taeyong is short. Well maybe not, but standing next to him, there’s a decent gap between the two. Jaehyun can see the top of the redhead's hair, which is springing all over the place, disheveled by the recent combat. 

“Cute” He notes to himself. 

Or so he thought. 

“Huh?” Taeyong eyes him curiously, eyes widening at the little outburst. 

Jaehyun curses himself, this time internally, as he tries to cover up his slip. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

Taeyong snorts, but thankfully he lets it go. “Sure you didn’t.”

♥

Taeyong decides to walk him home, promising to reveal everything once they’re inside. The journey back was, generously put, awkward. Both said nothing, instead swinging their lanky teenage arms around, trying to ignore the tense silence.

They’re about to enter the front door, when Jaehyun realizes he had forgotten to buy the sauce. The whole reason for his venture, the whole reason he was caught in that escapade, unfulfilled. And now, when he enters, he’ll undoubtedly have to face the wrath of his angry, sauceless, mother. 

His hand, that was beginning to turn the knob, suddenly retracts. “Um” He begins, shooting Taeyong a forced grimace, “Maybe we should go in another way.”

The elder raises an eyebrow, a little confused by the sudden change in plans. “Why not the front door?”

“Not a good idea” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Then how are we going to get in?”

Jaehyun blinks, unsure about what to do next. “We can climb up the window?” 

“Well that sounds like a worse idea” Taeyong replies, reaching over to grab Jaehyun’s wrist.Confused by the sudden action, Jaehyun tries to tug free, but the redhead’s grip is strong. 

“Your hand-” He trails, but Taeyong cuts him off by pressing a finger to his lips.

“Here’s a better one” The boy says, lips furling into a smile. 

Suddenly his vision warps, the environment around him fading into hazy shapes that swirl around, too animated for an inanimate building. Jaehyun blinks, trying to clear the distortion, but when he opens his eyes, he’s not on the front doorstep anymore, but in his room.

“Told you” Taeyong’s voice snaps him out of his confused daze. 

Jaehyun flashes the redhead a bewildered stare, but Taeyong, who's already on his bed, sitting cross legged, gestures towards his desk chair, beckoning him to sit. 

Hesitantly, he follows, ignoring the creak it makes when he rests his weight. “Can I ask you some questions?” he asks, leaning a little forward, eager for a reply. 

Taeyong nods, “Anything you want.”

♥

Jaehyun’s suspicions are confirmed. Taeyong is indeed a psychic, though he doesn’t call himself one.

“Just some guy with superpowers” the redhead stated. 

He learns that Taeyong has a surprisingly strong sense of justice.The night of their first encounter, the elder was performing an exorcism on an evil spirit. Apparently, it had been “terrorizing” the neighborhood for a while: causing people to trip, wilting flowers, unleashing other such variations of classic juvenile pranks. 

Jaehyun finds them kinda funny, and when he mentions this to the redhead, he instantly regrets it. 

“It’s not though” Taeyong frowns, his eyebrows scrunching together, “These are innocent people who don't deserve to have their lives messed with by some shitty ghost.”  
“You wouldn’t want to be put in that situation” the elder continues, nose turned in distaste. 

Jaehyun feels guilty for even commenting. Taeyong is right, this isn’t some lighthearted joke, but real people and real stakes at large. 

He also learns the breadth of Taeyong’s powers. Aparently, his range of abilities is fucking huge. Telekenisis, teleportation (which is how they got into the room), super strength, exorcism, spiritual awareness, astral projection, and other large, fancy words he has no idea how to pronounce. 

“Wow you’re OP” he gasps, a little taken back how all these powers fit in the 175cm man infront of him. 

“Not really” Taeyong shrugs, nonchalantly, “There’s still stuff I can’t do”

“And that is?” Jaehyun swirls around in the chair, his foot tapping anxiously as he awaits an answer. 

Taeyong blinks. “Why should I tell you that?”

Jaehyun groans, internally praying this doesn’t end their conversation. This whole ordeal, though terrifying, has been the biggest splash of inspiration since he rewatched Supernatural. Dean and Sam hold shit to Taeyong.

“Okay” he trails, a bit hesitant if he should follow through, He fumbles with a strand on his hair, before he spots the pile of papers resting in the corner of his desk. 

His comic.

His story.

There’s a reason, a good one that is, why Jaehyun doesn’t really talk about his comic. For one, though he enjoys creating it, he suffers from overwhelming self doubt and lack of confidence to show others. Secondly, he wanted to wait to finish it and show his mom, proving to her that art was something he could pursue and commit too. 

Though the plan’s changed now. 

“The truth is I’m writing a comic.” He begins, noting as Taeyong cocks his head curiously, “And it’s about a boy. A boy with superpowers. A boy who can fight monsters.”

Taeyong nods, trying to process the newfound information, before shedding a gentle smile. “So basically me?” he supplies. 

“Yea” Jaehyun suddenly feels a bit shy. The secret that he’s been holding in for so long was finally out. It felt good for someone to acknowledge his creation’s existence, but at the same time he feels fear. Fear that Taeyong’s going to tell him his idea is as cliche as it can get, roast him about the plot, or accuse him of being lame. 

But thankfully, he gets none of those reactions. 

“Cool.”

Jaehyun shoulder’s droop in relief. “Cool?” he repeats, hesitant if he heard correctly. 

Taeyong stands up, walks towards the desk, closing the proximity between the two. “Cool.” he begins, resolution entrenched in his comment. “I think its a great idea.” 

His eyes trail over to the pile of papers, the beginning framework of his future book. “Is that it?” Taeyong asks, directing his head in it’s direction. 

Jaehyun nods, before instinctively reaching over to grab it, and promptly stuff it into his desk. “It’s not that good” he rambles, the words rolling endlessly, “And I’m not done, so I don’t think you should read this trash-”

Taeyong reaches over and rests his hand on Jaehyun’s. “It’s okay” he smiles, running his thumb over the back of Jaehyun’s palm. “You don’t have to show me unless you want to.”

“Thanks” he replies, a blush creeping on his face from the gentle gesture. 

The red head slinks back to the bed, bouncing a little on the soft mattress, running his fingers across his duvet. “I have an idea.”

Jaehyun tilts his head. “What is it?”

“So about your book” The read head begins, plucking one of his plushies from their resting position. “Why don’t you use me for inspiration.”

“Huh?” Jaehyun gasps, shocked at the proposal. 

“It’s easy. You can hang with me afterschool and watch me do my-” He pauses to wave his hands around grandly, “-psychic stuff or whatever you call it.”

Jaehyun gulps, because this seems more than perfect. 

“Sure!” He exlaims, nodding way too eager. But at this point, he doesn’t care, too overloaded with excitment to even notice Taeyong smile at him softly. 

“Tomorrow?” he inquires. 

Taeyong chuckles. “I’m free everyday.”

“Me too”

“Sounds like a plan” Taeyong replies as he puts the plushie back from it’s retrieved spot. “It’s getting late I should go now. 

Jaehyun, a little sad to see the elder go, offers him a tiny wave. “See you tomorrow.”

The elder waves back. “See you then”

Then he dissapears. 

The room feels oddly empty without a second presence, but there are still traces of the boy lingering in his room. For instance, the slight dip in his bed from where Taeyong had been sitting, or the slightly off positioning of the plushie. 

Jaehyun sighs, turning his chair away to face his desk directly. It’s weird to say, but he kind of misses him, or whatever word describes what he’s feeling right now. His heart is papillating, beating a few decibels louder than usual, while a squirmish tickles arises in his stomach. 

Needing a distraction from the strange sensation, Jaehyun reaches in his desk to pull out his sketchbook and a handful of 2B’s. He tears open the weathered spine, flips through the stained paper, before arriving at a crisp page. With a swift and experienced movement, he begins to sketch the subject in mind. Beginning with a sharp jawline and ending with a slit eyebrow. 

As he works on hatching the nose highlight, he hears an angry shout call out his name from downstairs. 

It’s his mom. 

“Where is the sauce you idiot”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd again lol 
> 
> I'm planning on posting at a more consistent schedule with longer chapters but I'm not sure. Lmk what y'all think!
> 
> Leave a comment or follow me on twitter about updates.


	4. The Orb

Jaehyun’s stomach growls as he waits with Doyoung in the lunch line. There were at least thirty people in front of him, and from the looks of it, the food was going fast. By the time Jaehyun reaches the front of the line, all that's left is a scoop of curry and one last carton of strawberry milk. 

This sucks!” he groans, lowering his head. Jaehyun takes the milk and checks out of the line. As he fiddles in his pocket for change, the thought of Taeyong suddenly flashes through his mind.

“Isn’t this Taeyong’s favourite drink?”

Clink. 

Something lightly hits the back of Jaehyun’s head, causing him to turn around in the thrown object’s direction. Meeting his eyes is a tall, dark haired boy wearing a sly smirk.

“Get over here losers” the boy says amusedly, using his hand to beckon the duo. 

Jaehyun rolls his eyes while Doyoung sets his tray down at the table. “You threw that didn’t you Johnny?”

Johnny laughs, wrapping one arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder. “You have no proof! I’m innocent I swear.”

Johnny, like Doyoung, is a year older than Jaehyun and on the student council which, coincidentally, is how Jaehyun met the elder. Around sometime last year, Jaehyun had been forced to stay after school and help out Doyoung. It was like any other day until he suddenly heard a strange grunting noise from the room next door.  
_  
Jaehyun tilted his head, “What is that sound?”_

_“Check it out if you’re so curious” Doyoung replied, not even looking up from his paperwork._

_Hesitantly, Jaehyun walked towards the door separating the rooms. Rumor had it that twenty years ago a girl had died in that room and now her ghost haunts the area. Jaehyun had dismissed it as another stupid urban legend, but now, as he walked towards the room, he felt a strange chill hull over him._

_Taking a deep gulp, Jaehyun slowly turned the knob and, with great force, yanked it open._

_It was not a creepy ghost that greeted him, which honestly he would have preferred over the sight in front of him. Instead, it was Johnny, deep in a make out session with his boyfriend Ten. As quickly as he’d open the door, Jaehyun slammed it shut._  
  
“I can tell from that smile of yours that you threw it” he retorts, pulling on Johnny’s ear. 

“Ow, ow, ow” Johnny whines, “Okay fine I did! Now let go.” As Jaehyun releases him, the elder curls towards the silver haired thai next to him. 

As they eat their lunch, the conversation jumps from topic to topic--which honestly, captured the entire essence of the friend group. They were random, different characters that strangely were able to bond over having no mutual interests at all. A piecemeal of personalities. Or so to use a calculus metaphor, an eccentric piecewise function. Jaehyun is still amazed that they are somehow still friends.

“Do you guys think superpowers are real” he asks, stealing quick bites of Doyoung’s lunch. 

“Not really” Johnny replies. “It honestly sounds too good to be true. I can't imagine people having life be their bitch instead of the other way around.” Ten leans rests his head in the crevice of Johnny’s shoulder. 

“They might. You never really know” the thai says, “There could be a whole world of magic or esper powers that we don’t even know about. You know, like Harry Potter!”

“Jae are you going to finish that milk?” Doyoung asks. “If not you better pay up for all the bites you’ve taken out of my food.”

Jaehyun instinctively grabs the carton and pulls it closer. “I’m saving it for someone.”

Taeyong’s face flashes through his mind again. For some reason his mind kept drifting towards the redhead: his smile, his eyes, his expressions. Taeyong intrigued him.

“Who?” Doyoung asks curiously. 

“Someone” Jaehyun replies quickly, a tinge of heat flushing at his cheeks, “None of your business really.”

From the corner of his eye, Jaehyun sees Taeyong entering the cafeteria. The redhead, who had headphones plugged in and a carton of regular milk in hand, walks towards an empty table. 

“Wow” Ten remarks, “Scary as ever.”

Maybe if this conversation took place a month ago, or even yesterday morning, Jaehyun might have agreed with Ten. But after seeing the redhead narrowing his eyebrows at the thought of ghosts and monsters harming others, clutching a plushie on Jaehyun’s bed, and even smiling gently at him, Jaehyun couldn’t disagree more. Taeyong’s cold image had melted for him.

“He’s not.” 

Doyoung turns to him. “Oh yea. I forgot that Jaehyun has a crush on that guy. ”

“Shut up..” Jaehyun stutters lightly punching Doyoung on the shoulder. He forgot that, Doyoung being Doyoung, had leaped to this absurd conclusion. As his friends start probing him for more information about this newfound "crush", Jaehyun turns his head to sneak a glance at Taeyong. The redhead was still sitting alone, fumbling with something on his phone. 

Johnny shakes his head. “Taeyong is bad news Jae. If I were you, I wouldn’t try to entangle myself with him.” From his side, Ten nods his head in agreement. 

“There are alot of nasty rumors about him,” Johnny continues. But Jaehyun doesn’t listen. His eyes are still fixated on the boy sitting alone. There were a lot of things Jaehyun still wanted to ask him, but Jaehyun decided he’d wait until they were better friends. 

He stands up and starts walking towards Taeyong’s table.

“Hey Jae what are you doing?” Johnny calls out, his voice trailing further in the distance now. Jaehyun sets his tray down, causing Taeyong to jerk up and yank his earbuds out. 

“J-Jaehyun?” the redhead exclaims, started by the brunette’s sudden appearance. His wide brown orbs staring innocently into Jaehyun’s eyes. 

Jaehyun slides his strawberry milk to the other. “Here.”

“Thanks I guess? That is so random what are you doing here?” Taeyong turns towards the direction Jaehyun had just come from. “Shouldn’t you be with your friends?”

Jaehyun smiles as he rests his chin against his fist. “But we are friends. Remember what you said yesterday?”

Taeyong flashes him a shy grin back. “Wanna hang out after school?” 

He nods. 

♥

Pew Pew Pew. 

The sound of Jaehyun’s iphone game rings loudly across the empty stairwell. An hour ago Taeyong had texted him to meet him here instead of the main entrance. Jaehyun didn’t even know that the school had a place like this: the walls were molding, the steps were graffitied, and burnt cigarettes littered on the floor. 

Taeyong (sent at 3:32): I’m coming.

Jaehyun (sent at 3:33): Dude this place is kinda creepy LOL

Taeyong (sent at 3:35): Yes I know.

Jaehyun (sent at 3:35): ??? Then uh why are we meeting here??

“Hello?” Taeyong’s voice echoes from seemingly the bottom of the stairwell.

“Hey I’m up here” Jaehyun calls out, which shortly after, causes the red head to zap in front of him.

Jaehyun’s eyes widen. “Wow that was cool” 

The other boy had already changed out of his uniform and was instead wearing the same red hoodie from the other day. On the sleeve there was still a faint stain of blood, probably his blood from yesterday’s injury. 

“Why do you always wear that hoodie?” 

Taeyong shrugs as he beckons the other to follow him up the stairway. “Every superhero needs his cape right? I guess you could say this is mine.”

As they get closer to the staircase, the semblance of a green light starts to emerge, it’s intensity growing with every step they take. 

“What is that?” Jaehyun asks, bewildered at the sight. 

“That” Taeyong nudges in the light’s direction, “Is the reason why we’re meeting here. It’s a lost spirit.”

At the top of the staircase is a little green orb, flying around sharply is sporadic circles. It flickers on and off as it starts approaching Taeyong’s direction.

“It’s safe right?” Jaehyun asks nervously as the light buzzes around his face. 

Taeyong opens his hand, letting the orb land snugly in his palm. “Of course” Taeyong replies, thumbing the orb gently. “A green light usually means it's a good spirit. Bad ones are often black or even red.”

Jaehyun stares in awe at Taeyong’s hand. Never in his life would he have imagined that he’d see a flying orb, let alone a spirit. 

“It’s beautiful”

Taeyong smiles softly. “It sure is.”

Then, with the spirit in hand, Taeyong starts walking towards the exit. “Our job now is to set it free. This poor soul has been stuck here for a while and can’t cross into the afterlife.”

“How do we do that?”

A gust of wind blows through the small slit of the window resting in the corner of the stairwell. Through the glass pane, Taeyong points towards the sky. “We sent it to the clouds.”

After a few good tries, Jaehyun finally manages to yank the window enough so that Taeyong could comfortably sit on it’s ledge. 

“Ready?” Jaehyun asks.

Taeyong nods back.

The redhead closes his eyes as he slowly opens his cupped hands. Like a newborn bird, the orb flutters out of his palm, only to fall back a couple times. Eventually, it gets the hang of it, and paces towards the sky. The further it gets, the light begins to crumble, dissipating into tiny sparkles that float around the two. 

“Hey T-” Jaehyun is about to ask a question but immediately stops himself. The redhead’s eyes are still closed, and his head is tilted backwards, revealing the defined curl of his adam’s apple. The glitter around shines against Taeyong’s slightly tanned skin. Jaehyun’s breath hitches--Taeyong looks beautiful. 

When the glitter finally stops, Taeyong’s eyes flutter open. Though the magical moment had passed, for some reason Jaehyun still can't look at Taeyong without feeling a strange shortness of breath. 

“Are you okay?” Taeyong asks, a twinge of worry in his tone. “You look a little red.”

“I’m fine” Jaehyun says, avoiding Taeyong’s burning gaze. 

_“I’m definitely not fine”_ he thinks.


	5. Update

Hi all!  
Yiri here :) I know I haven't worked on this for half a year LOL but I can explain. I've been pretty busy with college apps and I totally forgot that I wrote this. But now that I've reread the series I might make this into a webtoon or just continue the series first! Anyways, this year Im going to finish this story FOR REAL this time !!

Thanks everyone,  
Yiri


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